Features
Ready or not, 2026 is the year of skills
AI is reshaping UK work, yet readiness is patchy and shortages still persist. Mark Onisk argues that 2026 demands skills-based workforce orchestration, tighter skills governance, smarter AI-human collaboration and scaled leadership development. Organisations that embed learning in the flow of work and prioritise high-impact skills can turn disruption into advantage. The UK workforce is at a turning point. AI is reshaping roles, but adoption and readiness vary widely across sectors. Skills England warns of persistent barriers, including low foundational literacy,…
Strategic communication is not soft: Why L&D needs a strategy before silence sinks change
Steve Macaulay and David Buchanan argue that strategic communication is a core capability, not a soft skill, and L&D and HR must build it for change. From a gym takeover that went silent to practical steps on timing, channels and feedback, they show how two-way messages protect trust and performance. Communication needs to be managed strategically, and HR and L&D must embed this as a core capability. Strategic communication is the purposeful use of communication by an organisation to achieve…
Learning sticks when it’s shared: Why human learning communities more vital than ever
Samantha Hall shows that workplace learning transforms when people feel connected to others. She explores how communities spark joy, build psychological safety and accountability, surface tacit knowledge, strengthen culture and resilience, and keep development alive long after formal sessions, especially as AI speeds up access to information but not belonging. In my work as a Talent Development Manager, and in my spare time running a sober community (Sober Circle), I’ve seen first-hand how powerful community can be. Whether it’s colleagues…
Is your organisation truly data-driven – or just investing in tech?
Drawing on award-winning examples from healthcare, justice, media and policing, Jake O’Gorman argues that data-driven transformation depends on people, not platforms. He writes about why leaders must prioritise data quality, skills and ethical governance and shares stories that start with real problems, build confidence to turn evidence into everyday decisions. Despite billions invested in digital transformation, far too many organisations confuse technology spend with evidence-based leadership. In my roles at Corndel, from leading on Data and AI Strategy to serving…
2026 is the year L&D operationalises AI, without losing the human touch
In 2026, L&D must embed AI into real workflows, redesign roles and focus on measurable outcomes, without sacrificing trust, culture and wellbeing. Drawing on views from leaders across HR, learning and analytics, TJ’s Editor Jo Cook explores three pressure points: human plus AI, adaptive learning, and business focus without overwhelm. In 2026, L&D has to stop treating AI as a bolt-on project and start treating it as part of how work gets done and shows up in workflows. Will organisations…
Beyond generative: The leadership playbook for agentic AI learning
As agentic AI moves to setting goals and acting, workplace learning is shifting into the flow of work. Johnson Wong argues leaders must design AI-enabled workflows, reskill for human oversight, and enable department alignment of IT, operations and the people profession to turn continuous, embedded learning into measurable performance gains. Enterprises around the world are entering a new phase of digital transformation, one defined not just by automation, but by intelligent collaboration between humans and autonomous digital agents. This shift…
Is the UK’s “free AI training” platform actually helping your people — or giving leaders false confidence?
Erica Farmer argues the UK government’s free AI training platform is a useful signal, not a silver bullet. Without learning design, emotional reassurance and workplace context, ‘beginner’ pathways become friction, drop-off and inequality. Erica highlights L&D and HR must build an internal spine that turns content into confident behaviour change. The UK government’s new free AI training platform has landed with a lot of fanfare. Social feeds have gone into celebration mode: “Finally! A national solution. Ten million workers upskilled…
AI jobs apocalypse… or bonanza?
Will AI steal our jobs? Wrong question. AI performs tasks and most jobs involve a combination of tasks. The AI impact depends on organisational choices, not just the technology. David Buchanan and Steve Macaulay explore how the outcome for jobs depends on a combination of replacement, compensatory, and augmentation effects. AI may steal bits of your job, but very few jobs will be completely stolen. Simple admin, content generation, customer support, data entry, financial analysis, and manufacturing tasks can be…
The return of the ‘office first’ culture and what that means for learning
As organisations shift back to office-first policies, L&D has a critical role to play. Jennie Marshall explores how learning professionals can turn a logistical pivot into a cultural opportunity, redefining connection, trust and inclusion, and ensuring that presence in the office doesn’t come at the expense of performance or purpose. It’s back. The phrase that many thought we’d left behind in 2019: “We’re returning to the office.” After years of hybrid experiments, kitchen-table working, and virtual everything, many organisations are…
The value of business simulations for development and change
Business simulations turn learning into lived experience. Instead of talking about strategy, people feel its consequences, make decisions and learn fast. From leadership to onboarding, simulations help close the gap between theory and practice. Steve Macaulay explains why they’re no longer a ‘nice to have’, but a serious development tool There has been an increasing trend to find ways to make learning highly relevant to the context in which participants are working. In an era where every L&D pound spent must justify itself, reducing the ‘transfer gap’ – the distance between…
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